Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged

22 oz. bottle. Pours an opaque black that allows no light to pass through. Very pleasant aroma of bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. The bourbon in the aroma is the flavor itself and not the vaporous alcohol. The flavor is ever-so-slightly metallic with bourbon, caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit. Thin bodied for an imperial stout.

Bottle at PPRBSG09. Pours dark brown. Aroma is completely bourbon. Flavor is also bourbony with a faint background of roasted malt. Am I drinking bourbon or beer? Tastes exactly the same as the bourbon aged imperial porter...like bourbon. 4/3/5/2/10 (2.4/5)

Bottle. Aroma quite boozy with some alcohol-soaked fruits. Flavor gets much richer than the nose indicated with the chocolate and roasted malt notes one would expect from such a beer. Tasty.

Bottle at PilsnerPeter’s Spring Gathering. Pours a nice black with a light tan head. Isopropyl mostly on the nose, with some roast, and a light bourbon note, but mostly rubbing alcohol. Medium bodied and roasty, with more roast coming through on a light bitter finish. I was expecting more.

Pours out a thick black color with a nice thicker tan head. aroma was big on oak, vanilla, choco, and of course my favorite, bourbon. Flavor was very much the same and the alcohol is very well hidden. nice brew.

pours almost black with a reddish tinted creamy light brown head. it smells almost sour?... woody, high roast (probably the culprit), bourbon spiciness, chocolate, vanilla and caramelized/butterscotch toasted nuts. loads of chocolate in the flavor... way more than expected. the bourbon is softer in the flavor but the barrel has added a sourness which is pleasant but most likely unexpected/a flaw. ...vanilla, coconut, coffee, tart cherries and a spiciness round it out. the medium body is rather light given the abv% and depth of the brew... slick smooth mouth feel. 8/4/8/4/15/3.9

2009 Bottling; Sampled May 2009
A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick, nicely brown stained, dark tan colored head. The beer is quite black in color, though it has a touch of a brown tint to it if you look closely. The beer remains quite opaque if held up to the light, though it might pick up just a touch more brown. The nose leads with notes of toasted coconut and vanillin, lightly spicy bourbon and roast malt back this up quite nicely, but the first two are definitely the dominant note. After digging a bit deeper some notes akin to a burnt nuttiness, others that distinctly remind me of a chocolate liquor and a sharp, slightly acrid, dark roast coffee in the finish. There is perhaps a touch of burnt vegetal notes in the aroma as well. Not a bad aroma, though it can be a touch harsh at times.

The beer hits my tongue with a touch of a lush texture, not quite creamy, but definitely with a substantial heft. The beer has a light sweetness to it, much of the sugars here seem to be well roasted such that they don’t contribute to a simple sweetness. The roast character adds a sharpness to this beer in the middle and moves towards a roast bitterness and a touch of acrid roast character in the lingering finish. After a bit some burn acidity is also noticed in the finish.. The Bourbon barrel induced flavors are not nearly as ripe and inviting as the aroma was. Here the barrel influence adds a spicy, slightly hot note to the finish, though there is a touch of buttery oak and maybe a hint of vanillin, but the lush coconut character seems to be entirely lacking. The roast, burnt malt character does have a touch of nuttiness to it in the finish, but it is mostly dominated by the sharp roast notes.

This beer ends up being a bit too harsh, I wish it maintained the richness and balance of the nose in the flavor, but it just gets a bit too harsh in the end; there is just too much of a dominating, sharp, roast character in the flavor.

Draft at Brouwer’s. Pours a jet black with a frothy mocha head. Bourbon dominats the aroma, but I pick up caramel, molasses, and chocolate. Flavor is amazing. The bourbon gives it a great full body flavor with great chocolate and coffee undertones. This one is a mouthful but incredibly smooth and leaves a fantastic aftertaste. A very high quality brew.